Introduction

This is our 13th annual Survey. It is now the principal source of reliable industry statistics for the Australian live performance industry, and represents the most comprehensive information on annual ticket sales for Australian live performance events available. As the leading source for industry results and trends, the Survey is drawn upon extensively by the industry, government, media and business.

The 2016 Survey shows that the live performance industry continues to contribute significantly to our economy and cultural ecology. In 2016, 18.78 million tickets were issued to live performance events, generating total ticket sales revenue of $1.43 billion. That’s more than the combined attendances at AFL, NRL, Soccer, Super Rugby, Cricket and NBL in 2016 (Australian Sporting Attendances 2016, Stadiums Australia).

In comparison to 2015, ticket sales revenue increased slightly by 1.2% and in attendance by 0.8%, showing that Australia’s live performance industry has remained stable. Conversely, the different genre categories experienced varying shifts in growth and decline. This trend is consistent with previous years and is primarily due to the impact of major tours or events, particularly international tours, in the market in any given year.

The development of LPA’s research reports, integral to promoting the value and importance of our industry, is made possible by the provision of data by our Survey participants, including ticketing companies, self-ticketing venues, event promoters and the Australia Council for the Arts on behalf of the Major Performing Arts companies. The generous cooperation and effort of all Survey participants is, as always, greatly appreciated.
We also thank our Survey Consultants, EY, for their professional services in compiling and analysing the Survey data, and our Web Designers, Digital Bridge, for their preparation of the Digital Report. We hope you find the digital format informative and intuitive, allowing greater ease of comparison with previous year’s data and tracking of trends.

Download the Report

$1.43b

Total Revenue

1.2%%

Revenue Growth

18.78m

Total Attendance

0.8%

Attendance Growth

$83.72

Avg Ticket Price

Ticket Revenue and Attendance Overview

Industry growth

In 2016 (calendar year), the Australian live performance industry generated total ticket sales revenue of $1.43b, up 1.2% on 2015 when ticket sales totalled $1.41b. This increase in revenue was a result of an increase in the total number of paid tickets, offset by a slight decrease in the average ticket price by 3% from $86.34 to $83.72.

Approximately 18.78m tickets were issued in 2016, representing an increase of 0.8% from 2015 when 18.63m tickets were issued. Of the 18.78m total tickets, the number of paid tickets issued was 17.09m, an increase from 16.37m sold in 2015. The remaining 1.7m tickets issued in 2016 were complimentary, sponsor allocated and zero-priced tickets.

In 2016 the highest number of tickets issued for live performance events since 2008 was recorded. Although revenue increased slightly in 2016, it is still well short of the record revenues achieved in 2013 ($1.48b) and 2014 ($1.51b). This is due to the record high average ticket prices achieved in these years, driven by major international tours in the Contemporary Music category during the period, including Pink, Katy Perry, Rolling Stones and Bruce Springsteen.

Drivers of growth

Consistent with previous years, NSW generated the highest share of national live performance revenue and attendance (35%), with Victoria being the second largest contributor (30%). Combined NSW and Victoria generated approximately 65% of Australia’s live performance revenue and attendance in 2016.

Tasmania experienced the highest state growth in revenue (38.5%) and attendance (13.7%) in 2016. NSW also experienced steady growth in revenue by 10.9% and attendance by 8.6%.

Consistent with previous years, Contemporary Music is the largest category in the industry, generating a 30.5% market share of total revenue and attendance.

Revenue growth in Comedy (57.3%), Children’s/Family Events (41.6%), Classical Music (36.1%), Special Events (44.1%) and Theatre (40%) drove growth in the live performance industry in 2016. This growth was offset by revenue declines in Circus and Physical Theatre (26.1%), Festivals (Contemporary Music) (25.2%), Festivals (Multi-Category) (8.9%) and Contemporary Music (7.9%).

Photo: Double Indemnity - Melbourne Theatre Company, Jeff Busby

Overall Trends

Key Revenue Insights

Between 2008 and 2016, industry revenue has increased by 34.8%, despite falling in 2011, 2012 and 2015.

The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for revenue over the same period was 3.8%.

Comedy experienced the highest category increase in revenue by 57.3% ($86.4m) in 2016.

Tasmania had the most significant state growth in revenue by 38.5% ($14.7m) in 2016.

Key Attendance Insights

Total attendance has remained relatively consistent across 2013 to 2016, increasing by 4.8% over the period.

The CAGR for attendance between 2008 and 2016 was 2.2%.

Consistent with the growth in revenue, Comedy experienced the highest category increase in attendance (42%) and Tasmania experienced the most significant state growth in attendance (13.7%) in 2016.

Key Average Ticket Price Insights

Between 2008 and 2016 average ticket price has increased by a total of 9.3%, representing a CAGR 1.1%.

The growth rate in average ticket price over this period has been subdued by the decline in average ticket price since it peaked at $92.16 in 2013.

2016 experienced a further decline of 3% from an average ticket price of $86.34 in 2015 to $83.72.

This decrease was driven by large declines in the average ticket price in Festivals (Multi-Category) by 21.4%, Circus and Physical Theatre by 11.7% and Contemporary Music by 11.4%.